What's Next for Kyndall Harris?

Kyndall Harris is perhaps not who you expect to see in a viral Internet dance video. This YouTube video of Harris, for one, has more than 700,000 views—but unlike other popular dance videos out there (11 million views for the sassy toddler derailing a recital; 4 million views for the dudes swerving synchronized hoverboards to the latest Justin Bieber single), Harris' videos rack up page views because of her talent alone, not because of a gimmick.

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Harris started dancing at age six; by seven she'd joined the Memphis Grizzlies junior dance team and by 11 she'd earned a spot in the L.A. dance troupe Lil Beasts (run by big name choreographer WilldaBeast Adams, who made last month's viral "Formation" choreography video). Along the way, Harris built a solid YouTube following. Then, last fall, Janet Jackson hired Harris to dance on her Unbreakable World Tour, completely changing the game for then 12-year-old Harris. The job came just months after Harris' family moved from Memphis to Los Angeles to service Kyndall's career, though they had no idea how soon, or how much, it'd pay off. ("There's no road map for this," says Kyndall's mom and manager, Shontal.)

"That was my ultimate goal, to go on tour," Harris says from a sun-drenched soundstage in Los Angeles where she's dressed as a young Janet Jackson (acid wash jeans, mini backpacks, flannel shirts). "I didn't think it would happen this quick!" she gushes, which makes sense: Hiring a 12-year-old dancer for a mammoth 111-show tour (88 shows in North America, 3 in Asia, and 20 in Europe) meant that Jackson had to mitigate the headache of employing a child performer, paying extra fees and negotiating legal documents, in addition to taking tutors and Harris's mom along for the ride. It's hardly a run-of-the-mill background dancer arrangement, but clearly Jackson thought it was worth it for Harris's talent and spark. (Harris is actually one of two young dancers on Jackson's tour; along with 12-year-old Taylor Hatala, they call themselves the #Jbabies.)

"Now I need to think of something better for my ultimate career goal…but I don't know!" Harris says, wide-eyed, revealing her biggest paradox: She's driven, but never so much that she can't stop and smell those proverbial roses along the way. And though she's all attitude when dancing, when she opens her mouth, she's almost alarmingly sweet. It takes a few seconds to realize that that when Harris refers to everyone older than her in the "Miss ___" format (ie. Miss Janet, Miss Sarah, Miss Jane), she's serious, and that when she deploys the word "blessed," there's not a shred of irony. When we wrap the shoot, she asks everyone to sign autographs for her: photographers' assistants, makeup artists, the caterers, as if she forgot she is the talent, the one we're all here for.

Of course, this isn't a totally bizarre reaction. Yes, Harris dances until the point of exhaustion each day, conducts herself like a seasoned executive 20 years her senior, and has a sharp momager helping her navigate Hollywood. Still, this combination of hard work, charisma, and family support often isn't enough for many black girls in 2016 America to succeed. Reading the comments on Harris' Facebook page, you get a sense of what her story means to others—"you are a black girl who 'ROCKS!'"; "Such an inspiration to the young girls to see that your dreams can really come true you just gotta keep pushing...." they write.

And keep pushing Harris will: This spring, she will appear on America's Got Talent, as well as on Ellen Degeneres' forthcoming child talent competition, Little Big Shots, all in addition to that whole Janet Jackson tour. When not dancing, she's doing everything from accessories shopping in Tokyo ("It's my favorite city!") to meeting Beyonce in the green room after a performance ("Oh. My. God." is all she can say about that one). It's a lot for her to handle, but in true Kyndall Harris form, she says: "It's hard work, but it's not tiring,"—and steps back onto the set to dance another take.

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